Simple Wooden House is Sustainable in More Ways Than One

Wood Studio House, recently completed by Dom Arquitectura of Spain is energy efficient, prefab, sustainable, and made of wood. It’s hard to ask for more from a home, but this one is also beautifully designed and very cozy.

The Wood Studio House is located on a hillside in the scenic Sant Cugat, Spain. It measures 818 sq ft (76 sq m), which is a perfect size for a couple, or a small family. As for the sustainability features, it was considered from the ground up. It was positioned on the site in a way that best takes advantage of the local climate. To achieve this, the south-facing wall of the house is the one with the most windows and doors, allowing for maximum solar heat gain. There is also cleverly placed shading, and low thermal transmittance glazing which aids in minimizing heat-gain when needed. In addition to this, the house is also fitted with a PV array on the roof, which takes care of some of the household’s energy needs.

The north-facing façade only has a few smaller openings to prevent heat loss, as well as to aid good natural ventilation. According to Dom Arquitectura the latter is achieved via the temperature and pressure differences between the south and north sides of the house, while good cross ventilation is also the result of the house being raised above the ground using concrete pilotis and steel beams, which allows air flow through its lower section.

This space below the home is also used for water storage. Seven water tanks are located under the house, which together can hold up to 353 cu ft (10 cu m) of water. The tanks are filled via a rainwater catchment system, which collects water from the roof as well as the exterior paths. This water is then used to irrigate the garden and the lawn.

The home was mainly constructed using prefabricated sections made of timber. The interior is finished with three-layered plywood and pine, while the exterior of the structure has a finish made of autoclaved-treated fir wood. Using timber to build the home also helps insulate it, due to the material’s low thermal conductivity. To augment this, they also used natural biodegradable wood fiber insulation to insulate the home.

Only certified suitable timber was used, and it was sourced locally from the Catalan Pyrenees. In fact, most of the materials needed to build the home were sourced locally, which reduced the transportation costs and the carbon footprint of the home.